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THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 243doubtless continue to be the main method employed inthe majority of these schools, while yet making suchuse of English books as students are able for.It isproper to say that the colleges under consideration are intensely practical in character. Even thoseschools which carefully preserve their own denominational affiliations are not doing so in sectarian spirit.Nor are the schools allowed to become scholastic orunpractical in tone. The purpose is ever kept foremostto prepare men for a ministry of service that they maymeet the deep religious needs of their fellow-countrymen.The strong and growing sense of solidarity betweenChinese Christians of various denominations is a brightsign of promise fcr the future, and careful study of thework done in these schools leads one to believe that thetraining given is such as will definitely tend to theestablishment of a common Christianity in China.The statistics given below will show that three newseminarieshave been established since the CentenaryConference, while six of the twelve training schools forlay workers reported have opened within the same time.A number of additional schools of both kinds areprojected at various centres, while reports indicate rapidincrease in the number and quality of students, thegrade of instruction, and the number of teachers givingwhole or part time to this work. Missions, Chinesechurches, and school superintendents are pressing theclaims of the ministry upon young men as never before.The great spiritual movements within the church haveresulted not only in deeper consecration, but also in thededication of many lives to the work of preaching theGospel. The students conferences, under the auspicesof the Y. M. C. A., have contributed largely to thisresult. While exact figures are not available, it isknown that in the past three years, in four of the sevenprovinces under review, six hundred have dedicatedtheir lives to Christian service, and about one-thirdof these must be nearing graduation, and hence almost